78th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: February 25, 2023

[OlavEH]

Btw, what happend to Nils Politt? After his 2019 season, I expected him to be a clear contender in the cobbled classics, but he hasn't performed much after that time.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Isn't he a very pure sprinter for a straight forward race who has problems whenever there are hills or any other obstacles like cobbles?

He definitely improved his climbing last season.

 

[Boes]

5 stars: none (no vans)
4 stars: Pidcock, Laporte
3 stars: Philipsen, De Lie, Lampaert, Mohoric, Asgreen
2 stars: Stuyven, Senechal, Wellens, Van Baarle, Benoot, Vocsnor
1 stars: Fred Wright, Teunissen, Kwiatowski, Turner, Cosnefroy

Prolly forgetting riders. There's a huge pool of possible winners, certainly with the headwind going in the last couple of kilometers which favours a small group going to the finish.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Isn't he a very pure sprinter for a straight forward race who has problems whenever there are hills or any other obstacles like cobbles?

He used to be much more of a classic style rider who also had a good sprint. Getting over hills and even mountains much easier than your average sprinter, very good bikehandling and positioning, but lacking top speed. He got a lot of top 10's without a win a few seasons ago, because he was always "there" but never fast enough.

He has become much faster over the past 2 seasons, but he should be able to do much better in classics.

 

[search]

Btw, what happend to Nils Politt? After his 2019 season, I expected him to be a clear contender in the cobbled classics, but he hasn't performed much after that time.

last year he was hit hard by that Paris-Nice disease and didn't get fully fit again in time. Should normally a strong contender again this time.

 

[Berflamand]

No Asgreen (due to sickness), replaced by Stan Van Tricht.

Also no Dylan Teuns due to sickness.

Sep Vanmarcke starts but has stomach problems because well, it's Sep Vanmarcke and the Classics.

 

[Valanga]

No Asgreen (due to sickness), replaced by Stan Van Tricht.

Oh ffs stop getting sick or injured Kasper, and start winning again

 

[DNP-Old]

Isn't he a very pure sprinter for a straight forward race who has problems whenever there are hills or any other obstacles like cobbles?

Quite the contrary, he came up as an aspiring classic rider who you should never take to the line, rather than a sprinter who can ride classics. He dominated Roubaix as an U23, which he still almost won despite puncturing thrice in the finale. The further time has progressed, the quicker he has become. But he hasn't progressed much as a classics rider, if anything at all.

 

[RedheadDane]

Remember what I said in another thread about Trek making weird "lineup posters"? This is what I meant:

5 stars: none (no vans)

Errrr... not true!

VAN Baarle
T. VAN Dijke
VAN Hooydonck
VAN Avermaet
J. VAN den Berg
VAN Moer
VANmarcke
VAN Asbroeck
VAN Gestel
VAN Boven
VAN Keirsbulck
VAN Hoecke
VAN Hemelen
VANhoof

See? Lot's of vans. They might not be the "Big Vans", but they're Vans nonetheless.
And I hereby declare myself "The Society Against Denying Van-status to Any Riders Other Than WVA and MVDP With Van in Their Names".

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Remember what I said in another thread about Trek making weird "lineup posters"? This is what I meant:

You have bad, then you have so bad it's good, then you have so bad it isn't even so bad it's good anymore. This is the latter.

 

[Berniece]

De Lie will win this easily.

He won’t be able to follow when they attack on de muur

 

[Ricco']

Remember what I said in another thread about Trek making weird "lineup posters"? This is what I meant:

Spent a minute trying to find out if they were talking only about the male team, about the Belgian and Drôme ones or about the male and female teams of the belgian classics. Only the Bongo Borghini and Bäcksto give it away.

Nevertheless, still don't know half of the people they are talking about.

 

[RedheadDane]

Nevertheless, still don't know half of the people they are talking about.

Looking at the actual startlist, I'm guessing (sticking to this race):
"DJ Lange Daan" = Dan Hoole
"DJ Cherry" = Alex Kirsch (mainly because he's the only one left)
"MC Mollemalen" = Bauke Mollema
"Mashmaster" = Toms Skujins (because of his love for potatoes, which can be mashed)
"Stuyge" = Jasper Stuyven
"Looney Theuns" = Edward Theuns
"Prague Party Starter" = Mathias Vacek

 

[Samu Cuenca]

"DJ Cherry" = Alex Kirsch (mainly because he's the only one left)

I'd say it's mainly because Kirsche is the German word for cherry.

I assume Lil' Klein is going to provide them with alcohol and drugs.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd say it's mainly because Kirsche is the German word for cherry.

It's been over 10 years since I last had German.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It's been over 10 years since I last had German.

You clearly haven't spend enough time on the B27 between Göttingen and Fulda!

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Heinrich Haussler of Bahrain team won‘t race in OHN and Kuurne, and hasn‘t raced yet this season. Anyone knows if he is injured or has other health problems?

By the way, the Trek Opening Weekend poster is really nice… Or even great, I would say. Pro cycling should be about fun and entertainment, and Trek team entertains us very well, here!

 

[Filippo_3467]

Btw, what happend to Nils Politt? After his 2019 season, I expected him to be a clear contender in the cobbled classics, but he hasn't performed much after that time.

I think contender is a bit to much, but of course he's better then what he showed the last years. He was going very good in Portugal. The last time he was that good in his preparation was...2019. So I wouldn't expect him to win races mostly because he doesn't have a very strong sprint and is missing the punch for the cobble hills. I think he will feature more prominently in the races with attacks and could a surprise upset if the favourite's tactics let him get away.

Paris-Roubaix is of course the big chance for him. At OHN I would think bora will attack with some riders in the middle of the race to get someone into G1. If there's a bigger group coming to the line the probably hope to have Haller, Meeus or Schelling there as they could probably try for a good sprint result. So I would expect to see Koch and Politt going into earlier moves before the Muur.

 

[RedheadDane]

Hey, @Red Rick! Time to play with glue.

 

[topcat]

Tomorrow’s race should be a cracker. So tear yourself away from the Tour du Rwanda and tune into a classic.

 

[Netserk]

What's wrong with using the official map and profile?

 

[Sciatic]

Kristoff to hang on and win from a small group finish. Or not

 

[rallybanana]

Errrr... not true!

VAN Baarle
T. VAN Dijke
VAN Hooydonck
VAN Avermaet
J. VAN den Berg
VAN Moer
VANmarcke
VAN Asbroeck
VAN Gestel
VAN Boven
VAN Keirsbulck
VAN Hoecke
VAN Hemelen
VANhoof

See? Lot's of vans. They might not be the "Big Vans", but they're Vans nonetheless.
And I hereby declare myself "The Society Against Denying Van-status to Any Riders Other Than WVA and MVDP With Van in Their Names".

Are you denying Van-status to iVAN Garcia Cortina, iVAN Romeo, and DonaVAN Grondin?

 

[search]

Kristoff to hang on and win from a small group finish. Or not

that always sounds like a reasonable assumption, but somehow he has never even cracked the Top 10 yet in the Omloop

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Remember what I said in another thread about Trek making weird "lineup posters"? This is what I meant:

The epitome of how to fail to give information by being 'too cool' to simply give information. They may as well publish the Georgian transcript of the start lists.

Childish and pathetic